American fear of communist attack

Trumans dislike of Stalin

USSRs fear of the American's atomic bomb
USSRs dislike of capitalism
USSRs actions in the Soviet zone of Germany
Americas refusal to share nuclear secrets
USSRs expansion west into Eastern Europe +
broken election promises
USSRs fear of American attack
USSRs need for a secure western border
USSRs aim of spreading world communism
Introduction

The Cold War was a long period of
tension between the democracies of the
Western World and the communist
countries of Eastern Europe.

The west was led by the United States
and Eastern Europe was led by the
Soviet Union. These two countries
became known as superpowers.
Introduction

Although the two superpowers never
officially declared war on each other, they
fought indirectly in proxy wars, the arms
race, and the space race.





NATO spectators watch a nuclear
detonation at the Nevada Test Site on
May 28, 1957. U.S. Department of
Energy photograph. Public domain.
Time Period (1945 - 1991)

The Cold War began not too long
after World War II ended in 1945.

Although, the Soviet Union was an
important member of the Allied
Powers, there was great distrust
between the Soviet Union and the
rest of the Allies.
Time Period (1945 - 1991)

The Allies were concerned with the
brutal leadership of Joseph Stalin
as well as the spread of
communism.
US/USSR Relationship
during World War II

1939: Stalin (USSR) makes a deal
with Hitler (Germany).

1941: Hitler breaks deal and
attacks USSR.

Stalin changes sides and fights
with US and other allies.
US/USSR Relationship
during World War II
Before the end of the World War II,
Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt met at
Yalta to plan what should happen when
the war ended.

Winston Churchill
(England), Franklin
Roosevelt (US) and
Joseph Stalin (USSR)
meet in Yalta in 1945 to
decide the fate of
post-war Europe.

US/USSR Relationship
during World War II

They agreed on many points:
1. The establishment of the United
Nations
2. Division of Germany into four zones
3. Free elections allowed in the states
of Eastern Europe
4. Russias promise to join the war
against Japan
Cold War Characteristics
Political, strategic and ideological
struggle between the US and the USSR
that spread throughout the world

Struggle that contained everything
short of war

Competing social and economic
ideologies
Post World War II/
Cold War Goals for US
Promote open markets for US goods
to prevent another depression

Promote democracy throughout
the world, especially in Asia
and Africa

Stop the spread of
communism Domino Effect
Post World War II/
Cold War Goals for USSR
Create greater security
for itself
lost tens of millions
of people in WWII
and Stalins purges
feared a strong
Germany
Post World War II/
Cold War Goals for USSR

Establish defensible borders

Encourage friendly governments on
its borders

Spread communism around the world


The Cold War was often fought between the
superpowers of the United States and the
Soviet Union called a proxy war.

These were wars fought between other
countries, but with each side getting
support from a different superpower.
Examples of proxy wars include the Korean
War, the Vietnam War, the Yom Kippur
War, and the Soviet Afghanistan War.
Proxy Wars
Korean War

June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953

The leader and Prime Minister of North
Korea was Kim Il-Sung. North Korea's chief
commander was Choi Yong-kun.





Korean War

The President of South Korea was
Syngman Rhee. The South Korean Army
was led by Chung II-Kwon. The United
States Army and United Nations forces were
lead by General Douglas MacArthur.





Korean War

The Korean War was fought between South
Korea and communist North Korea.

It was the first major conflict of the Cold War
as the Soviet Union supported North Korea
and the United States supported South
Korea.



Korean War

The war ended with little resolution. The
countries are still divided today and North
Korea is still ruled by a communist regime.







Korean War

Countries Involved

Supporting North Korea was the Soviet Union
and the People's Republic of China.


Supporting South Korea was the United
States, Great Britain, and the United Nations.


Korean War

North Korea Attacks

On June 25, 1950 North Korea invaded South
Korea. The South Korean Army fled and forces
from the United Nations came to help out. The
United States provided the majority of the
United Nations forces. Soon the South Korea
government only occupied a small part of
Korea on the southern tip.

Korean War


At first the United Nations was only trying to
defend South Korea, however, after the first
summer of fighting, President Truman
decided to go on the offensive. He said the
war was now about liberating North Korea
from communism.



Korean War


General George MacArthur led the UN
forces on an attack at the Battle of Inchon.
The Battle was a success and MacArthur
was able to move in and route much of the
North Korean army. He soon had retaken
control of the city of Seoul as well as South
Korea back up to the 38th parallel.


Korean War


China Enters the War. MacArthur continued
to be aggressive and pushed the North
Koreans all the way to the northern border.
However, the Chinese were not happy with
this and sent their army to enter the war. At
this point President Truman replaced
MacArthur with General Matthew Ridgway.


Korean War


Back to the 38th Parallel Ridgway fortified
the border just north of the 38th Parallel.
Here the two sides would battle for the rest
of the war. North Korea would attack the
south at various points and the UN army
would retaliate trying to prevent more
attacks.


Korean War

End of the War

Negotiations continued for much of the war,
but President Truman did not want to
appear weak. When Eisenhower became
president, he was much more willing to offer
concessions to end the war.


Korean War

On July 17, 1953 a treaty was signed that
ended the war. Few things had changed as
a result of the war. Both countries would
remain independent and the border would
remain at the 38th parallel. However,
between the two countries a 2 mile
demilitarized zone was placed to act as a
buffer in hopes to prevent future wars.


Korean War



Vietnam War



Vietnam War

November 1, 1955 to April 30, 1975

The Vietnam War was fought between
communist North Vietnam and the
government of Southern Vietnam. The North
was supported by communist countries
such as the People's Republic of China and
the Soviet Union. The South was supported
by anti-communist countries, primarily the
United States.



Vietnam War


The United States lost the Vietnam War. It
lasted for twenty years, something the US
never expected when it joined in the fight.
Not only did the US lose the war and the
country of Vietnam to the communists, the
US lost prestige in the eyes of the world.






Vietnam War

Before the War

Prior to World War II Vietnam had been a
colony of the French. During World War II the
Japanese took control of the area. When the
war ended there was a power vacuum.
Vietnamese revolutionary and communist Ho
Chi Minh wanted freedom for the country of
Vietnam. However, the Allies all agreed that
Vietnam belonged to the French.



Vietnam War

Eventually Ho Chi Minh and his rebels began
to fight the French. Ho's soldiers in the north
were called the Viet Minh. Ho
tried to get US help. When Ho
began to have success against
the French, the US became
more concerned. In 1950 they
began sending aid to the
French in Vietnam.




Vietnam War

The US Enters the War
In 1954, the French lost a major battle to the
Vietnamese. They decided to pull out of
Vietnam. The country was divided up into a
communist Northern Vietnam and a Southern
Vietnam. It was supposed to be reunited under
a single election in 1956. However, the United
States did not want the country to become
communist. They helped Ngo Dinh Diem get
elected in the South.



Vietnam War

President Johnson's War Plan

President Lyndon Johnson had the plan to
help the Southern Vietnamese get strong
enough to fight the North rather than having
the US win the war for them. By putting limits
on the troops and not allowing them to attack
Northern Vietnam from 1965 to 1969, the US
had no chance to win.




Vietnam War

A Difficult War
Not only were the US troops limited in what
they could do strategically by President
Johnson, the jungles of Vietnam proved a
difficult place to fight a war. It was very difficult
to find the enemy in the jungles and also
difficult to determine who was the enemy. The
troops had to deal with booby traps and
constant ambushes from people they thought
they were fighting for.



Vietnam War

The US Exits the War

When Richard Nixon became president he
decided to end US involvement in the war. He
first began removing troops from Vietnam in
July of 1969. On January 27, 1973 a peace
fire was negotiated. A few months later in
March the final US troops were removed from
Vietnam.




Vietnam War

The US Exits the War

In April of 1975 South Vietnam surrendered to
North Vietnam. Soon the country became
officially unified as the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam. Vietnam was now a communist
country. The US had lost the Vietnam War and
also taken a major blow in the Cold War.


Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War

October 6 to 25, 1973

The Yom Kippur War was fought between
Israel and the Arab states of Egypt and
Syria. The initial attack took place on the
Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. The war
heightened tensions in the Cold War
between the world's two nuclear
superpowers, the United States and the
Soviet Union.
Yom Kippur War

The Leaders

The Prime Minister of Israel was Golda
Meir. Israeli military leaders at the time
included Minister of Defense Moshe Dayan,
David Elazar, and Israel Tal.




Yom Kippur War

The Leaders

The President of Egypt was
Anwar Sadat. The Commander-
in-Chief of Egypt's army was
Ahmad Ismail Ali. The
President of Syria was
Hafez al-Assad and the
Minister of Defense was
Mustafa Tlass.
Yom Kippur War

What Other Countries Were Involved

The United States was on the side of Israel.
They helped to supply Israel with weapons
as well as put pressure on the attacking
states to stop fighting. A few years after the
war the United States would help to broker
a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt at
the Camp David Accords.

Yom Kippur War

What Other Countries Were Involved

Egypt and Syria were supported directly
with armed forces from Iraq and Jordan.
They were also supported by the Soviet
Union and a number of Arab states
including Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and
Lebanon


Yom Kippur War

How the War Began

The Egyptians and the Syrians started the
attack on Yom Kippur. They figured that the
Israeli Army would be less alert on their holy
day. The initial attack worked very well. The
Egyptians crossed the Suez Canal and took
control of the Sinai Peninsula. At the same
time the Syrians attacked to the north taking
control of the Golan Heights.
Yom Kippur War


How it Ended



On October 22, the United Nations
negotiated a cease-fire, however, the
fighting soon broke out again. Soon Israel
had the Egyptian Army nearly surrounded.

Yom Kippur War

How it Ended

With the war escalating, tensions between
the US and the Soviet Union began to
mount. If one of them should join in the war
to help out an ally, the other would likely join
as well.

On October 25, 1973 another cease fire
was negotiated. This time the effort was
successful and the war came to an end.
Yom Kippur War

























Soviet Afghanistan War
Soviet Afghanistan War

December 24, 1979 - February 15, 1989

The Soviet Afghanistan War was fought
between Afghanistan rebels called the
Mujahideen and the Soviet supported
Afghanistan government. The United States
supported the Afghanistan rebels in order to
try and overthrow the communist
government and to prevent the spread of
communism.
Soviet Afghanistan War

Leaders:

The leaders of Afghanistan during the war
included General Secretary Babrak Karmal
and President Mohammad
Najibullah. Soviet Union leaders
included Leonid Brezhnev and
Mikhail Gorbachev.


Soviet Afghanistan War

Leaders:

Leaders from the Mujahideen included
Ahmad Shah Massoud (nicknamed the Lion
of Panjshir) and Abdul Haq. US Presidents
during this time were Jimmy Carter and
Ronald Reagan




Soviet Afghanistan War

The War Begins

The leaders of the Soviet Union became
concerned that President Amin was having
discussions with the United States. On
December 24, 1979 the Soviet Union invaded
Afghanistan. They had President Amin put to
death and installed their own leader, President
Babrak Karmal.

Soviet Afghanistan War

The War

It was a very difficult battle. Many of the
Soviet soldiers were untested in battle and
their gear was not designed for the harsh
environment of Afghanistan. Also, the
Mujahideen soldiers were fighting for their
homeland and their religion. They were
fierce fighters and had many good places to
hide in the mountains.
Soviet Afghanistan War

The War

As the war continued
with little success, it
became a source of
embarrassment for the Soviet Union. Their
army no longer seemed invincible to the rest
of the world.


Soviet Afghanistan War

The War

The Soviets also came
under increasing
international pressure. The
war was condemned by the United Nations,
the US pulled out of the SALT treaty talks,
and the US boycotted the 1980 Olympic
Games in Moscow.

Soviet Afghanistan War

The War Ends

When Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of
the Soviet Union he wanted the war to end. He
first tried to increase Soviet troops to end the
war quickly. However, this didn't work. By 1988
Gorbachev realized the war was costing
Soviet troops and hurting their economy. He
signed a peace treaty to end the war.